🇧🇩 The fate of big guns/beneficiaries of Awami League after the student revolution

[Saif]

Freeze accounts of Bashundhara Group chairman, MD, family

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) yesterday asked banks to freeze all personal accounts of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his son and group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and their family members.

www.thedailystar.net

Freeze accounts of Bashundhara Group chairman, MD, family
BFIU directs banks

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) yesterday asked banks to freeze all personal accounts of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his son and group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and their family members.

The family members mentioned by the BFIU are Sadat Sobhan, son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan; Sonia Ferdowshi Sobhan, wife of Sadat; Shafiat Sobhan, another son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and vice-chairman of the conglomerate; and Sabrian Sobhan, wife of Anvir.

The anti-money laundering agency sent a letter to the banks ordering them to freeze the personal bank accounts in their names for 30 days in the first phase.

The BFIU asked the banks to block their locker facilities as well.

The intelligence unit also sought an update on the account details of Safwan Sobhan, son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, and Safwan's wife Yeasha Sobhan within two working days.

The Criminal Investigation Department of police recently decided to investigate money laundering allegations against the Bashundhara Group bosses and their family members.​

 

[Saif]

Ex-minister Saber, ex-MP Asaduzzaman, ex-senior secy Aminul arrested

The members of the law enforcement agencies on Sunday arrested former environment, forest and climate change affairs minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former Awami League lawmaker...

www.newagebd.net

Ex-minister Saber, ex-MP Asaduzzaman, ex-senior secy Aminul arrested
Staff Correspondent
06 October, 2024, 19:41

Saber Hossain Chowdhury | Collected photo

The members of the law enforcement agencies on Sunday arrested former environment, forest and climate change affairs minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former Awami League lawmaker for Rajshahi-3 constituency Asaduzzaman Asad, and home ministry’s Public Security Division senior secretary Aminul Islam at three places in the capital.

On the same day, a judicial magistrate court in Dhaka allowed the police to take former Prime Minister’s Office principal secretary Abul Kalam Azad, also a former Awami League lawmaker for Jamalpur-5 constituency, in their custody for interrogation for seven days in a murder case.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s deputy commissioner for media, Muhammad Talebur Rahman, said that a team of the Detective Branch of DMP arrested former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury at a location in the capital’s Gulshan Sunday evening.

DMP officials said that Saber was arrested as he was wanted in several cases lodged with different police stations in the capital.

Saber is a former AL lawmaker for Dhaka-9. His expertise in environmental policy and climate diplomacy earned him the special envoy role to the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2023.

He was also elected lawmaker with AL ticket in the elections held in 2008, 2014 and 2018.

DC Talebur said that the members of DMP’s DB also arrested home ministry’s former senior secretary Aminul Islam at Banani in the capital Sunday afternoon.

He, however, could not mention the case in which Aminul was arrested.

The Rapid Action Battalion said that they arrested former AL lawmaker Asaduzzaman Asad at the capital’s Baridhara Sunday afternoon.

He was arrested in a case lodged with Boalia police station in Rajshahi district over opening fire on students during the Students Movement Against Discrimination on July 19, said RAB media and legal wing director Lieutenant Colonel Munim Ferdous.

Asad is also a former general secretary of the Rajshahi district unit of the AL.

Court officials said that Dhaka additional chief judicial magistrate Jiadur Rahman allowed the police to take former PMO principal secretary and former AL lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad in their custody for interrogation for seven days in the case filed over the murder of Juba Dal leader Shamim in the capital’s Naya Paltan area during BNP’s grand rally on October 28, 2023.

The police arrested Azad at Dhanmondi in Dhaka Saturday afternoon.​

 

[Saif]

Passport of ex-army chief Aziz's brothers cancelled

The immigration and passport department has cancelled the passports of Haris Ahmed and Tofayel Ahmed Joseph, brothers of former army chief Aziz Ahmed, after their national ID cards were invalidated over forgery allegations.“ Their passports were cancelled on Sept 25, the day after their NIDs

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Passport of ex-army chief Aziz's brothers cancelled
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Oct 07, 2024 22:31
Updated :
Oct 07, 2024 22:31

The immigration and passport department has cancelled the passports of Haris Ahmed and Tofayel Ahmed Joseph, brothers of former army chief Aziz Ahmed, after their national ID cards were invalidated over forgery allegations.“

Their passports were cancelled on Sept 25, the day after their NIDs were revoked by the Election Commission,” Selina Banu. additional director general of the department, said on Monday.

According to the cancellation order, the brothers obtained passports using false information, which violated Section 7(2)(b) of the Bangladesh Passport Order, 1973, reports bdnews24.com.

Haris and Joseph changed their names and their parents' names and had obtained passports with validity until 2030.

Haris, using the name Mohammad Hasan, had a passport issued on Sept 20, 2020, with a birth date of Jun 6, 1966. The passport was set to expire on Sept 13, 2030.i

Similarly, Joseph, using the name Tanvir Ahmed Tanzil, had his passport issued on Sept 3, 2020, with a birth date of Aug 23, 1967.

In his fake passport, Haris listed his father's name as Solaiman Sarker and his mother's name as Rahela Begum, with a permanent address in Dhaka’s Nurjahan Road.

On Joseph’s passport, although he used the same father's name as Solaiman, he listed his mother’s name as Fatema Begum, with an address in a flat at Mirpur DOHS.

In reality, their father's name is Abdul Wadud, and their mother’s name is Renuja Begum, who once applied for Joseph’s sentence remission using her real name.

According to a report from Bangla daily newspaper Prothom Alo, Haris obtained his NID in 2014 under the fake name and later changed the photo in 2019.

Meanwhile, Joseph had two NIDs, one under his real name and another with the fake identity.

Sources suggest both brothers are currently residing abroad.​

 

[Bilal9]

Ex-president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir detained

Shahriar Kabir, former president of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, was detained yesterday (16 September). Officers of the Banani Police Station detained Shahriar from his residence, Tejgaon Police Station OC Md Mobarak Hossen confirmed the matter. Shahriar will be arrested in a...

www.tbsnews.net

Ex-president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir detained

View attachment 8516
Shahriar Kabir. Photo: Collected

Shahriar Kabir, former president of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, was detained yesterday (16 September).

Officers of the Banani Police Station detained Shahriar from his residence, Tejgaon Police Station OC Md Mobarak Hossen confirmed the matter.

Shahriar will be arrested in a murder case filed with the Banani Police Station, he added.

The Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee is a pressure group founded to demand the trial of war criminals from the Bangladesh Liberation War. It advocates for secularism in Bangladesh.

Shariar Kabir was elected president of the committee in 2017 till 2024.​

Murgi Kabir in handcuffs. The comedy material writes itself !

 

[Bilal9]

Freeze accounts of Bashundhara Group chairman, MD, family

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) yesterday asked banks to freeze all personal accounts of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his son and group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and their family members.

www.thedailystar.net

Freeze accounts of Bashundhara Group chairman, MD, family
BFIU directs banks

View attachment 9260

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) yesterday asked banks to freeze all personal accounts of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his son and group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and their family members.

The family members mentioned by the BFIU are Sadat Sobhan, son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan; Sonia Ferdowshi Sobhan, wife of Sadat; Shafiat Sobhan, another son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and vice-chairman of the conglomerate; and Sabrian Sobhan, wife of Anvir.

The anti-money laundering agency sent a letter to the banks ordering them to freeze the personal bank accounts in their names for 30 days in the first phase.

The BFIU asked the banks to block their locker facilities as well.

The intelligence unit also sought an update on the account details of Safwan Sobhan, son of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, and Safwan's wife Yeasha Sobhan within two working days.

The Criminal Investigation Department of police recently decided to investigate money laundering allegations against the Bashundhara Group bosses and their family members.​

Oh Happy Day! Finally, these land grabbers get their come-uppance! Anvir is wanted in several murder cases as well.

They should get croak their illegal properties as well, on tax grounds. Which will naturally follow.

 

[Saif]

Oh Happy Day! Finally, these land grabbers get their come-uppance! Anvir is wanted in several murder cases as well.

They should get croak their illegal properties as well, on tax grounds. Which will naturally follow.

This Bashundhara guy should be heavily punished for so many crimes he committed during Hasina's tenure.

 

[Saif]

Murgi Kabir in handcuffs. The comedy material writes itself !

Lately he claimed to be a freedom fighter. গাঁয়ে না মানে, আপনি মোড়ল।

 

[Saif]

Ex-AL MP Manik arrested in Bashundhara

On August 8, a case was filed against Manik, also known as "Bomb Manik", with Sunamganj Sadar Police Station for his alleged involvement in attacking students during the mass uprising

www.thedailystar.net

Ex-AL MP Manik arrested in Bashundhara

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested former Sunamganj-5 lawmaker Mohibur Rahman Manik in Dhaka tonight for allegedly attacking students during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

Manik was arrested from Bashundhara Residential Area around 9:00pm, Rab's director (legal and media wing) Lt Col Md Munim Ferdous told The Daily Star.

On August 8, a case was filed against Manik, also known as "boma Manik", with Sunamganj Sadar Police Station for his alleged involvement in attacking students during the mass uprising.

The process of transferring the arrestee to the detective branch (DB) police office in Dhaka is currently underway, said Rab.​

 

[Saif]

Banks asked to freeze accounts of Abul Hasanat Abdullah, family members

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has directed banks to freeze all accounts of Abul Hasanat Abdullah, former Awami League MP from Barishal-1, and his family members. .In a letter, BFIU asked to suspend transactions of accounts held by Abul Hasanat, his late wife Shahan Ara

www.thedailystar.net

Banks asked to freeze accounts of Abul Hasanat Abdullah, family members

Abul Hasanat Abdullah

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has directed banks to freeze all accounts of Abul Hasanat Abdullah, former Awami League MP from Barishal-1, and his family members.

In a letter, BFIU asked to suspend transactions of accounts held by Abul Hasanat, his late wife Shahan Ara Abdullah, their sons -- former FBCCI director Serniabat Moyeenuddin Abdullah, former Barishal city mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, and Serniabat Ashik Abdullah -- and Sadiq Abdullah's wife Lipi Abdullah, and Feroza Sultana for a period of 30 days in the first phase.

The BFIU also sought accounts details of the companies owned by them. Banks have also been requested to send the account-related information or documents, such as account opening form, KYC, and transaction statements, to the anti-money laundering agency.

The BFIU also asked banks to block locker facilities in their names.​

 

[Saif]

Joy, Palak, 17 others sued for selling citizens’ data for Tk 20,000cr

A case was filed on Wednesday against the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and former information and communication technology affairs state minister...

www.newagebd.net

Joy, Palak, 17 others sued for selling citizens’ data for Tk 20,000cr
Staff Correspondent 09 October, 2024, 16:11

Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Zunaid Ahmed Palak. | UNB photo

A case was filed on Wednesday against the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and former information and communication technology affairs state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and 17 others over allegations of selling data of national identity cards of over 11 crore people of the country illegally for Tk 20,000 crore.

Aggrieved businessman Mohammad Enamul Haque filed the case with the Kafrul police station on Wednesday naming 19 people and 15 to 19 unnamed others under the Cyber Security Act and some sections of the Penal Code, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s deputy commissioner (media) Mohammad Talebur Rahman.

Addressing an emergency briefing at the DMP’s Media Centre, he said that the detective branch of DMP on the day also arrested the National Data Centre’s former director Tarique M Barkatullah at the capital’s Kafrul area at about 7:00am.

‘We have primarily found the information of Tk 20,000 crore e-transactions for using citizens’ data for business purposes, violating the Digital Personal Data Protection Act,’ he said.

The case statement alleged that Joy, also the former ICT affairs adviser to ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and Palak permitted Digicon Global Services Limited to do business with several farms by using the NID information, without ensuring national and personal data safety.

The NID information was sold to 182 public and private organisations at home and abroad through porichoy.gov.bd between September 2019 and October 9 this year, it reads.

Insecurity has been created among the people due to the availability of the NID information to a third party, according to the case.

The complainant also alleged that the accused embezzled Tk 20,000 crore.

The other named accused in the case include Digicon Global Service director Wahidur Rahman Sharif, Bangladesh Computer Council’s former executive director (additional responsibility) Mahbubur Rahman, former ICT Division senior secretary M Ziaul Alam, Election Commission Secretariat’s NID Registration Wing former director (operations) Abdul Baten, EC Secretariat’s former senior maintenance engineer Ashraf Hossain, former National Telecommunication Monitoring Center official lieutenant colonel (retired) Rakibul Hasan, former Dhaka University’s Computer Science, Engineering department professor Haider Ali and former Canadian University of Bangladesh vice-chancellor Muhammad Mahfuzul Islam and former Cabinet Division deputy secretary Md Rezaul Islam.

Kafrul police station officer-in-charge Kazi Golam Mostafa told New Age that the DMP’s detective branch would investigate the case.

On October 4, 2022, a bilateral agreement was signed between the Election Commission and the Bangladesh Computer Council. Section 2 of the agreement clearly stated that the council would not sell any data to individuals or organisations by any means, said a DMP press release.

DMP also said that they had reportedly sold 46 kinds of data of the citizens by creating mirror copies.

Zunayed Ahmed Palak is now detained and on remand in police custody. Joy is now staying aboard.​

 

[Saif]

ACC sues Asaduzzaman, family for amassing illegal wealth

The Anti-Corruption Commission has found illegal assets worth Tk 60.55 crore amassed by former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, his wife, and two...

www.newagebd.net

ACC sues Asaduzzaman, family for amassing illegal wealth
Staff Correspondent 09 October, 2024, 21:00

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal | BSS photo

The Anti-Corruption Commission has found illegal assets worth Tk 60.55 crore amassed by former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, his wife, and two children between July 1, 1997 and August 13 this year.

The commission had also found information of transactions of Tk 416 crore in 36 bank accounts in the name of the former home minister and his family members during the same period, ACC director general (prevention) Akhtar Hossain said on Wednesday.

The ACC on Wednesday filed four cases with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1 against Asaduzzaman Khan, his wife Lutful Tahmina Khan, son Shafi Modasser Khan and daughter Shafiya Tasnim Khan on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 60 crore and money laundering, the ACC DG said.

This is the first case since beginning inquiries by the ACC against a number of former Awami League lawmakers, ministers and leaders after the fall of Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5 amid a student-led mass uprising.

Besides, ACC also filed another case against Asaduzzaman’s former assistant personal secretary, Md Monir Hossain, on charge of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 18.82 crore. Apart from this, illegal transactions of Tk 31.31 crore have also been found in 12 banks in the name of Monir Hossain.

Asaduzzaman, now facing several murder cases, has been in hiding since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. The BFIU on August 13 decided to freeze bank accounts in the names of the ex-home minister and his family members.

The former minister’s son Shafi Modasser Khan, who was arrested in an attempt to murder case in the past month, is now in jail.

Of the five cases against the ex-minister, his family members and APS Monir, ACC deputy director Jahangir Alam filed a case against Asaduzzaman on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 16.41 crore.

Deputy director Joynal Abedin filed a case against Lutfa Tahmina Khan on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 15.46 crore.

Assistant director Abul Kalam Azad filed a case against Shafi Modasser Khan on charges of accumulating illegal wealth worth Tk 19.89 crore while its assistant director Zinatul Islam filed a case against Shafiya Tasnim Khan over allegations of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 8.77 crore.

ACC assistant director Nasrullah Hossain filed another case against ex-APS Md Monir Hossain on charges of amassing wealth worth Tk 18.82 crore beyond known sources of income.

Asaduzzaman is the lone accused in the first case, while he is co-accused in the other four cases. He was elected lawmaker for the first time in 2008 from Dhaka-11 constituency, and appointed state minister for home on January 12, 2014.

He held the post of home minister until the fall of the AL regime since his promotion as home minister on July 14, 2015.

On August 18, the ACC decided to initiate inquiries against Asaduzzaman and five other officials of his ministry for their alleged involvement in bribery in appointment.

The five others are Asaduzzaman’s former personal secretary Md Harun-Or-Rashid Biswas, Public Security division deputy secretary Dhananjoy Kumar Das, Security Services Division administrative officer Mollah Ibrahim Hossain, APS Monir, and the ministry’s public relations officer Sharif Mahmud Apu.

Although cases were filed against Asaduzzaman and APS Monir, the inquiries against four others were still under inquiry, ACC officials said.​

 

[Saif]

Mahmudur Rahman demands warrant for arrest of Sheikh Hasina

Acting editor of Amar Desh newspaper, Mahmudur Rahman, has demanded an warrant for the arrest of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. “Sheikh Hasina took away the people's freedom of speech and is directly implicated in the recent massacres,” he said during a meeting with journalists a

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Mahmudur Rahman demands warrant for arrest of Sheikh Hasina
Published :
Oct 10, 2024 21:25
Updated :
Oct 10, 2024 22:17

Acting editor of Amar Desh newspaper, Mahmudur Rahman, has demanded an warrant for the arrest of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Sheikh Hasina took away the people's freedom of speech and is directly implicated in the recent massacres,” he said during a meeting with journalists at the Kushtia Press Club on Thursday. He called for bringing her back to the country to face trial.

Mahmudur emphasised, “Although fascism has been defeated, Indian dominance persists. We must rally around a Bengali Muslim identity. Sheikh Hasina's political downfall will come from our own culture, leading to the end of Indian hegemony.”

Earlier in the day, he filed a case against 66 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina and ex-IGP Mohammad Javed Patwary, for an attack on him at a court premises in Kushtia about six years ago, according to a UNB report.

In response to a question, Mahmudur said, “Now that the rights of Bangladeshis, freedom of speech, and the dignity of the court have been restored, I could file this case.” He also demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the incident.

A total of 46 people including leaders and activists of Awami League, Chhatra League, Jubo League and Swechhasebak League were named in the case along with 15 to 20 unnamed.

According to the case statement, Mahmudur Rahman came under attack by the accused when he was coming out of the Kushtia court after securing bail in a defamation case on July 22, 2018. Later, he returned to Dhaka by an ambulance.

In 2018, then Kushtia Chhatra League president Yeasir Arafat Tushar filed a case against Mahmudur Rahman, bringing allegation of making derogatory remarks about Tulip Siddiq, granddaughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and niece of Sheikh Hasina.

Mahmudur Rahman also went to the home of BUET student Abrar Fahad, who was brutally murdered by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists inside the Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university.​

 

[Saif]

Beneficiaries of Hasina govt's kleptocracy won't escape, will they?

Every day now the news media carries stories or some politician or former bureaucrat being arrested. According to Prothom Alo, in the first week of October (1-7 October) this year, a total of 7,018 persons were arrested from all around the country. While it hasn't been possible to get the...

en.prothomalo.com

Beneficiaries of Hasina govt's kleptocracy won't escape, will they?
Kamal Ahmed
Updated: 10 Oct 2024, 21: 17

Every day now the news media carries stories or some politician or former bureaucrat being arrested. According to Prothom Alo, in the first week of October (1-7 October) this year, a total of 7,018 persons were arrested from all around the country.

While it hasn't been possible to get the accurate number of arrests made in the two months since the autocrat Sheikh Hasina fled from the country, it is clear from certain deliberations that the arrests had been very limited before October. The main reason behind this was that the police system has broken down. Time was also required to repair the damaged police stations or to find alternatives.

There haven't been any detailed records available either of how many among the arrested are politicians, how many are civil servants, how many have been arrested for financial crimes and so on. At least no such details caught the eye in the news media till now.

It is also not clear as to whether the initiative to identify members of the law enforcement agencies who face serious criminal charges, has been completed or not. Towards the outset a few senior level police officials were arrested as well as a couple of senior army officers. But no one can say for sure if the other offenders within these forces will get away. According to official records, the number of police officers who have not returned to duty or who are in hiding, total nearly 200.

There were all sorts of offences and of varying degrees committed during the autocratic regime. The crimes committed from 15 July to 5 August are basically all acts of gruesome and brutal violence.

The indiscriminate killings, mass arrests and repression unleashed to bring the movement under control, stood out as different from the past 15 years of misrule. Many have termed these incidents as massacres and crimes against humanity, and these should be brought to trial accordingly.
The repression and torture carried out over the past 15 years may have been slightly different in nature, but much of the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings can be considered as crimes against humanity.

The other crimes of violating human rights, repression and suppression must also be brought to justice. All victims have the right to justice.
It is only natural that politicians will bear liability for political decisions. It is vital that they be placed on trial and be held accountable for exerting unlawful pressure to cling onto political power by resorting to killings, assault and torture.

At the same time, it is also vital that those who assisted them in their misdeeds, who carried out their unlawful orders and carried out cruel and inhuman crimes, must also be held accountable. Those guilty of such offences are basically over-enthusiastic and partisan bureaucrats and members of the law enforcement.

The manner in which a few businessmen, aided and abetted by the government, managed to establish sole control over the country's economy, is a textbook case of kleptocracy in Bangladesh
The investigations into their crimes and the judicial process are unfortunately very slow and disappointing. Most of the officials who would display their power and who were notorious for their cruelty have vanished overnight. Some have even fled from the country, it is heard.

Much criticised at home and abroad for its ruthlessness over the past 15 years, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which is also under US sanctions, now claims, "We were with the student-people's movement, we were with the uprising, and are doing all that is required to ensure its success." The RAB spokesperson claims they did not use any lethal weapons against the students and the people, and also that none of their members have absconded.

Once the UN's investigative teams report is available, the veracity of RAB's claims can be determined. But a helicopter bearing the name of RAB had been used for suppressing the agitation in an unprecedented manner, as is evident from videos on social media. The chief of army staff assured that investigations will be carried out and accountability ensured of the members of the armed forces who face allegations. We hope the outcome of these measures is made public.

The style of crime carried out by the group that assisted the autocratic rule the most and which benefitted the most too, was absolutely different. They are the financial felons. Some of these financial criminals have been nabbed because of their political identity. But the number arrested among those who have embezzled the country's resources and laundered the wealth overseas, is negligible.

Details of these financial crimes have been released by the government and the scope and extent of such crimes is beyond imagination. The manner in which a few businessmen, aided and abetted by the government, managed to establish sole control over the country's economy, is a textbook case of kleptocracy in Bangladesh.

Nowhere else in the world is there precedence of how a certain business family violated all rules and regulations and blatantly misused state power by using the defence forces' intelligence agency to take over one bank after the other, resorting to fraudulence to take loans of over Tk 900 billion (Tk 90,000 crore) from the clients' deposits in these banks.

Excelling in embezzlement, S Alam Group has a long list of financial crimes including tax evasion and money laundering. The proprietor of the group is not alone in these crimes. His family members are involved too as well as his paid employees. But there is nothing in the media as to whether they are in the country or, by virtue of their foreign citizenship, they have gone abroad.

In the meantime, in order to tackle the serious office of tax evasion, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has ordered a moratorium on share transfers (buying, selling or gifting) of S Alam Group, Basundhara Group, Summit Group, Beximco Group, Orion Group, Nasa Group and Third Wave Technologies Limited (Nagad Limited). Bangladesh Bank has frozen the bank accounts of many of the directors of these groups as well as that of their family members. But it is quite possible that they had emptied out their bank accounts in the few weeks before these were frozen.

A bar on leaving the country has been imposed on many of these beneficiaries of financial crimes. But we are unable to understand the use of imposing a travel ban on a businessman-politician who owns hundreds of homes overseas and who safely left the country after the change in power, three weeks after he thumbed his nose at these restrictions on Al Jazeera television.

And the bureaucrats and bankers who ignored the law to aid and abet these financial crimes, remain out of reach. Just as in the banking sector, there was unrestricted larceny in the share market too. There too, the officials who were in regulatory roles were accessories in crime. They too seem to be out of reach.

Just as the students and people want accountability for the corruption of the political leaders and activists, they also want the beneficiaries of kleptocracy to face justice. But perhaps it is only natural for there to be apprehensions that due attention is not being paid to the investigations and judicial process pertaining to these looters.

* Kamal Ahmed is a senior journalist​

 

[Saif]

ফ্যাসিস্টের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত গণহত্যা সমর্থনকারী সাংবাদিকদের বিচার হবে: নাহিদ ইসলাম

সাংবাদিকদের মধ্যে যারা সরাসরি ফ্যাসিস্ট সরকারের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত ছিল, উস্কানিদাতা ছিল এবং গণহত্যার সমর্থন করেছে তাদের বিচারের আওতায় আনা হবে বলে নাহিদ ইসলাম জানিয়েছেন।

bangla.thedailystar.net

ফ্যাসিস্টের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত গণহত্যা সমর্থনকারী সাংবাদিকদের বিচার হবে: নাহিদ ইসলাম
সাংবাদিকদের মধ্যে যারা সরাসরি ফ্যাসিস্ট সরকারের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত ছিল, উস্কানিদাতা ছিল এবং গণহত্যার সমর্থন করেছে তাদের বিচারের আওতায় আনা হবে বলে নাহিদ ইসলাম জানিয়েছেন।

তথ্য ও সম্প্রচার উপদেষ্টা মো. নাহিদ ইসলাম। ছবি: টেলিভিশন থেকে নেওয়া

সাংবাদিকদের মধ্যে যারা সরাসরি ফ্যাসিস্ট সরকারের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত ছিল, উস্কানিদাতা ছিল এবং গণহত্যার সমর্থন করেছে তাদের বিচারের আওতায় আনা হবে বলে নাহিদ ইসলাম জানিয়েছেন।

ঢাকা মেডিকেল কলেজ হাসপাতালে চিকিৎসাধীন আন্দোলনে আহতদের অনুদানের চেক হস্তান্তরের পর সাংবাদিকদের প্রশ্নের জবাবে তিনি এ কথা জানান।

এ সময় নাহিদ ইসলাম বলেন, 'শহীদ স্মৃতি ফাউন্ডেশন থেকে আন্দোলনে আহত-নিহতদের আর্থিক অনুদান দেওয়া হচ্ছে।'

আহতদের বিদেশে চিকিৎসার বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে তিনি বলেন, 'সংশ্লিষ্ট ডাক্তারদের পরামর্শ অনুযায়ী প্রয়োজনীয় ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হবে।'

সাংবাদিকদের বিরুদ্ধে মামলার প্রসঙ্গে জানতে চাইলে নাহিদ বলেন, 'যারা সরাসরি ফ্যাসিস্ট সরকারের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত ছিল, উস্কানিদাতা ছিল এবং গণহত্যার সমর্থন করেছে তাদের বিচারের আওতায় আনা হবে। এর বাইরে অন্যায়ভাবে কারও বিরুদ্ধে কোনো মামলা করা হলে, তা খতিয়ে দেখতে তথ্য মন্ত্রণালয়ে কমিটি গঠন করে দেওয়া হয়েছে।'

'যদি কোনো সাংবাদিক বা তার পরিবার মনে করে যে মামলার মাধ্যমে ভোগান্তির শিকার হচ্ছে, তাহলে আমাদের সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ করলে আমরা তাদের সহযোগিতা করব,' বলেন তিনি।

আহত-নিহতদের মামলা প্রসঙ্গে তিনি বলেন, 'এ বিষয়ে একটি লিগ্যাল টিম কাজ করছে। আমরা স্পেশাল ট্রাইব্যুনালে এই বিচার প্রক্রিয়া সম্পন্ন করব। গণঅভ্যুত্থানে যারা শহিদ হয়েছেন, আহত হয়েছেন, তারা দেশের বীর সন্তান। আন্দোলনে বিভিন্ন দলের যেসব নেতাকর্মী জীবন দিয়েছেন, তাদের সেই আত্মত্যাগকে আমরা স্বীকৃতি দেই।'

'আমরা অনুরোধ করব শহিদ ও আহতদের যেন আমরা কোনো দল বা ব্যানার দিয়ে ভাগ করে না ফেলি। আমরা যেন তাদের নিজেদের রাজনৈতিক স্বার্থে ব্যবহার না করি,' যোগ করেন তিনি।

নাহিদ ইসলাম বলেন, 'ঢাকা মেডিকেলে আসার আগে অনেকে বিভিন্ন জায়গায় চিকিৎসা নিয়েছেন, তাদের সেই খরচ আমরা দিয়ে দেবো।'

আন্দোলনকারীদের বিরুদ্ধে বিভিন্ন জায়গায় মামলা হচ্ছে সাংবাদিকদের এমন প্রশ্নের জবাবে যুব ও ক্রীড়া মন্ত্রণালয়ের উপদেষ্টা আসিফ মাহমুদ সজীব ভূঁইয়া বলেন, 'দ্রুতই স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয় থেকে এ বিষয়ে নির্দেশনা জারি করা হবে যেন আন্দোলনকারীদের বিরুদ্ধে কোথাও কোনো ব্যবস্থা না নেওয়া হয়। আন্দোলনকারীদের হত্যার সঙ্গে জড়িত পুলিশ সদস্যরা যত‌ই ক্ষমতাধর হোক না কেন তাদের ছাড় দেওয়া হবে না।'

এ পর্যন্ত জুলাই ফাউন্ডেশন থেকে আহতদের অনুদানের টাকার হিসাব সাংবাদিকদের সামনে তুলে ধরেন ফাউন্ডেশনের সেক্রেটারি মীর মাহবুবুর রহমান স্নিগ্ধ।

তিনি জানান, আজ মোট ১২২ জনকে জনপ্রতি এক লাখ টাকা করে এক কোটি ২২ লাখ ৬৪ হাজার ৪০০ টাকা দেওয়া হয়েছে। এর মধ্যে ঢাকা মেডিকেল কলেজে চিকিৎসাধীন ৩০ জনের মধ্যে ২৩ জনকে জনপ্রতি ১ লাখ টাকার চেক দেওয়া হয়েছে। বাকি ৭ জনের নাম সম্পূর্ণ না থাকায় তাদের বিকাশের মাধ্যমে আজই টাকা পরিশোধ করা হয়েছে।

জাতীয় চক্ষু বিজ্ঞান ইনস্টিটিউটে চিকিৎসাধীন ৩৩ জনের বিকাশে এবং জাতীয় অর্থোপেডিক হাসপাতাল ও পুনর্বাসন ইনস্টিটিউটে (পঙ্গু হাসপাতাল) ৫৯ জনের বিকাশে টাকা পৌঁছে দেওয়া হয়েছে।

এ পর্যন্ত জুলাই শহীদ স্মৃতি ফাউন্ডেশন থেকে ১৭৬ জন আহতকে মোট এক কোটি ৭১ লাখ ৪২ হাজার ৫০ টাকা অনুদান দেওয়া হয়েছে।​

 

[Saif]

Ex-minister Razzaque arrested

Former agriculture minister and Awami League lawmaker for Tangail-1 Abdur Razzaque was arrested in Dhaka yesterday evening.

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Ex-minister Razzaque arrested

Former agriculture minister and Awami League lawmaker for Tangail-1 Abdur Razzaque was arrested in Dhaka yesterday evening.

Md Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (Media and Public Relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, in a text message, said Razzaque, also the then ruling party's presidium member, was arrested from the capital's Eskaton area.

Several cases were filed against him following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5.

He was not seen in public since Hasina left the country for India.

Abdur Razzaque was first elected as member of parliament from Tangail-1 in 2001.

With Hasina in power, he served as the minister of food and disaster management from 2009 to 2012 and then as minister of food until 2013.

After the 2014 national election, he served as the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on finance.

Razzaque was then the minister of agriculture from 2018 to 2023.​

 

[Saif]

Hasina still in India, gets travel document

Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India for shelter after the fall of her government on August 5, is still staying there although there are media reports that she has recently been granted a travel pass by Indian authorities, according to foreign ministry officials in Dhaka...

www.newagebd.net

Hasina still in India, gets travel document
Staff Correspondent 15 October, 2024, 00:02

Sheikh Hasina

Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India for shelter after the fall of her government on August 5, is still staying there although there are media reports that she has recently been granted a travel pass by Indian authorities, according to foreign ministry officials in Dhaka.

Such a document, as per Indian media reports, would enable her to obtain visas from other countries for travel.

The officials said that they had also seen media reports that Sheikh Hasina, who did not have any valid passport with her at the moment, was provided with a travel pass as she has taken refuge in the neighbouring country for more than two months, but information available suggested that Hasina was still in India.

Asked whether they had any update on the ex-PM Hasina’s present location, foreign ministry public diplomacy wing director general Toufique Hasan on Monday said, ‘So far we know that she is still in India.’

Providing a travel pass to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina would not affect Bangladesh’s relations with India, foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on October 12 in Narsingdi.

‘Any country can issue a travel document to any individual. We have no way to prevent this. However, if a court orders her [Sheikh Hasina] to appear, we will take appropriate measures,’ said Touhid, also a retired diplomat, during a visit to the Sheba Sangha Temple in the district town.

On October 8, Touhid Hossain said that they were not aware of the present whereabouts of Sheikh Hasina as there were rumours on social media that she left New Delhi for the United Arab Emirates reportedly under pressure from the United States.

He said that they, like journalists, had also seen such claims on social media and checked through their diplomatic channels in New Delhi and the UAE, but could not be sure about the present location of Sheikh Hasina.

‘We tried to know about her present location through diplomatic channels in Delhi and the UAE, but could not confirm it,’ he told reporters at his Segun Bagicha office in Dhaka.

Responding to a question, Touhid, also a retired diplomat, said that Hasina was possibly in Ajman, a city in the United Arab Emirates, but even could not reconfirm the information.

The former prime minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who was also staying abroad, on October 12 told a private television in Bangladesh that her mother was still staying in New Delhi. His remarks have also created confusion over the whereabouts of the former prime minister who is also the president of the Awami League.

Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5. She is now facing more than 200 cases, mostly relating to murders and crimes against humanity committed during the anti-discrimination student movement.

Several former Awami League ministers and leaders have also fled to India for shelter during the political changeover.​

 

[Saif]

Bank accounts of journo Mojammel Babu, wife, and daughter frozen

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered banks and financial institutions freeze bank accounts of Mojammel Haque Babu, former chief editor of Ekattor Television and president of the Editors Guild, his wife Aparajita Haque, a former lawmaker and their daughter Sababa Ishayat Haque.

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Bank accounts of journo Mojammel Babu, wife, and daughter frozen

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered banks and financial institutions freeze bank accounts of Mojammel Haque Babu, former chief editor of Ekattor Television and president of the Editors Guild, his wife Aparajita Haque, a former lawmaker and their daughter Sababa Ishayat Haque.

The intelligence agency of the central bank issued the directive on Monday.

According to a letter from the Bangladesh Bank, all transactions related to the seized accounts will be halted. No transactions will be permitted in these accounts for the next 30 days.

The letter also reads that suspension of transactions is in accordance with relevant provisions of anti-money laundering regulations.

It includes details such as the names, addresses, and national identification numbers of Babu and his wife, as well as a request for comprehensive information regarding their bank accounts and those of their owned businesses.

Mojammel Haque Babu was arrested on September 16 while attempting to cross into India via the Dhobaura border in Mymensingh.

Since then, he has been in jail.​

 

[Saif]

Hasnat, Sarjis call for laying siege to High Court tomorrow

Demanding resignation of “fascist judges”, the anti-discrimination student movement has announced a siege of the High Court tomorrow

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Hasnat, Sarjis call for laying siege to High Court tomorrow

Bangladesh High Court. File photo

Demanding resignation of "fascist judges", the anti-discrimination student movement has announced a siege of the High Court tomorrow.

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, announced the programme in a post on his Facebook profile this evening.

In that post, Hasnat Abdullah wrote Awami League's fascist judges will be surrounded at the High Court by 11:00am tomorrow.

Coordinator Sarjis Alam also gave the same post following Hasnat Abdullah.​

 

[Saif]

Former DNCC mayor Atiqul arrested

Former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam was arrested at Mohakhali DOHS yesterday evening.

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Former DNCC mayor Atiqul arrested

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam. File photo

Former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam was arrested at Mohakhali DOHS yesterday evening.

He is accused in many cases filed after the fall of the Awami League government, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Atiqul, owner of Islam Group of Industries Ltd, is also a former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

After the death of Anisul Haq, the first mayor of DNCC, Atiqul was elected mayor with Awami League nomination in 2019. He was re-elected the next year.

Both the elections were fraught with allegations of irregularities.

After the fall of AL, Atiqul went to the DNCC office in Gulshan on August 18.

As protesters gathered in front of the building, he escaped through the fire escape stairs behind the Nagar Bhaban.

On August 19, the interim government removed all city mayors from their posts.​

 

[Saif]

Travel ban on ex-army chief Aziz, ex-MPs Nizam, Habibur

The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Thursday imposed an international travel ban on former army chief General (retired) Aziz Ahmed and his wife...

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Travel ban on ex-army chief Aziz, ex-MPs Nizam, Habibur
Staff Correspondent 17 October, 2024, 14:30

Former army chief General Aziz Ahmed. | File photo

The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Thursday imposed an international travel ban on former army chief General (retired) Aziz Ahmed and his wife Dilshad Nahar Kakoli over graft allegations.

The court also issued separate travel bans on Awami League’s former lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari of Feni-2 constituency and his wife Nur Jahan Begum, and a former lawmaker for Bogura-5, Habibur Rahman, for their alleged involvement in amassing illegal wealth.

Judge Mohammed As-shams Joglul Hossain passed the orders responding to separate petitions submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking the travel bans, said ACC public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

ACC deputy director Md Zakaria, in his petition, alleged that Aziz Ahmed and his family members amassed a huge amount of wealth beyond their known source of income through abuse of power, irregularities, and corruption.

The ACC also said that there were allegations that they also laundered money to conduct business and purchase property in Malaysia, Singapore, and Dubai.

The court also sent a copy of the order to the special superintendent of police (immigration) of the Special Branch for the next course of action.

On September 4, the ACC decided to initiate an inquiry against the former army chief.

Aziz’s corruption issue came to the fore after the United States had on May 21 imposed sanctions on him and his immediate family members, citing his alleged involvement in serious corruption.

Aziz served as the chief of army staff from June 2018 to June 2021. He also led the Border Guard Bangladesh from 2012 to 2016.

The court on Thursday also issued travel bans on former AL lawmaker Habibur Rahman and Nizam Uddin Hazari following a petition submitted by ACC deputy director Nurul Huda.

Earlier, the ACC decided to investigate allegations against the two former lawmakers of amassing illegal wealth through corruption at home and abroad.​

 

[Saif]

Travel bans slapped on ex-minister Nuruzzaman, ex-MP Iqbalur Rahim

The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Sunday slapped travel bans on former social welfare minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed and his wife Hosneara Begum, and former lawmaker...

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Travel bans slapped on ex-minister Nuruzzaman, ex-MP Iqbalur Rahim
Staff Correspondent 21 October, 2024, 00:42

The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Sunday slapped travel bans on former social welfare minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed and his wife Hosneara Begum, and former lawmaker Iqbalur Rahman and his wife Nadira Sultana Mukta over allegations of corruption.

Apart from this, travel bans were also imposed on Rongdhonu Group chairman Rafiqul Islam, Noman Group chairman Md Nurul Islam and Shilpakala Academy former director general Liaquat Ali Lucky in connection with graft allegations.

Acting judge Mohammad Ibrahim Mia of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court passed the order following petitions submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission, said ACC public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

ACC deputy director Nur E Alam submitted a petition to the court seeking a travel ban on Rafiqul Islam, mentioning that he may flee the country any time.

According to the allegations, Rafiqul, in collusion with bank officials, took loans of Tk 270 crore from the Bashundhara branch of First Security Islami Bank through a mortgage of a sold land and embezzled the money.

Besides, ACC assistant director Shohidur Rahman filed a petition seeking a travel ban on Noman Group chairman Nurul Islam, mentioning that he may flee the country any time.

According to the allegations, Nurul Islam amassed illegal wealth worth Tk 7,000 crore by taking loans from different banks and financial institutions through forgery and false information.

The court also imposed travel bans on former social welfare minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed and his wife Hosneara Begum and former lawmaker Iqbalur Rahim and his wife Nadira Suultana Mukta.

The ACC in its petitions mentioned that there were allegations against the minister and lawmaker that they amassed illegal wealth at home and abroad through corruption, including abusing power and embezzling public money.

The court, meanwhile, imposed a travel ban on Liaquat Ali Lucky following a petition submitted by ACC assistant director Afnan Jannat Keya seeking the travel ban.

The allegations accused Liaquat Ali Lucky of embezzling hundreds of crores of taka through bribes, recruitment manipulation, power abuse, various irregularities, corruption, and fraudulent bills and vouchers, in addition to laundering a significant amount of money abroad.

The petition said that preventing his departure from the country was necessary for a proper investigation into the allegations.​

 

[Saif]

Graft allegations: Travel ban slapped on Bashundhara boss, family

A Dhaka court yesterday issued a travel ban on Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan Shah Alam and seven members of his family in connection with corruption allegations.

www.thedailystar.net

Graft allegations: Travel ban slapped on Bashundhara boss, family
Travel ban on Bashundhara chairman

A Dhaka court yesterday issued a travel ban on Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan Shah Alam and seven members of his family in connection with corruption allegations.

The family members include Shah Alam's wife Afroza Begum, his four sons -- Sadat Sobhan, Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Safiat Sobhan Sanvir and Safwan Sobhan -- and his daughters-in-law, Sonia Ferdowshi Sobhan and Sabrina Sobhan.

Judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka passed the order after the Anti-Corruption Commission officials submitted five separate applications seeking their travel bans.

ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir moved the petition on behalf of the anti-graft watchdog, The Daily Star has learnt from an ACC official involved with the proceedings.

The ACC application said that an inquiry is underway into the graft allegations against Shah Alam, Afroza, Sadat, Anvir, Sanvir, Safwan, Sonia and Sabrina. So, the travel ban is needed to prevent them from leaving the country.

The judge also sent a copy of the order to the special superintendent of police (immigration) of the Special Branch for the next course of action.​

 

[Saif]

Former DMP DB chief Harun's accounts frozen

It will also be investigated whether they have any other income and assets in addition to what was shown on their income tax documents, the CIC official said.

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Former DMP DB chief Harun's accounts frozen
ACC investigation against DB Harun

Harun or Rashid

The bank accounts belonging to former Chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Harun Or Rashid and his family members have been frozen.

The Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) sent letters on Monday to the top executives of all banks and financial institutions in this regard.

"The accounts will remain frozen until further orders," a top CIC official said.

Harun's other family members affected by the decision are his wife Shirin Akhter, mother Jahura Khatun, brothers ABM Shahriar and Ziaur Rahman, father-in-law Farid Uddin Ahmed and relative Samraj Mia.

It will also be investigated whether they have any other income and assets in addition to what was shown on their income tax documents, the CIC official said.

​

 

[Saif]

Ex-minister Imran Ahmed arrested

Detectives have arrested Imran Ahmad, former expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister.

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Ex-minister Imran Ahmed arrested

Detectives have arrested Imran Ahmad, former expatriates' welfare and overseas employment minister.

A team of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Imran at the capital's Banani early today, Obaydur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP, told The Daily Star.

Talking over the phone around 1:35am today, he said Imran was accused in several cases filed recently. "We may be able to disclose later in which cases he has been shown arrested."

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, at least 1,695 cases were filed, mostly on murder charges, accusing cabinet members, ministers, lawmakers, and police officers.

At least 75 "high-profile" individuals having ties with the previous government have been arrested so far in those cases, according to sources at the Police Headquarters.​

 

[Saif]

Another murder case filed against Asaduzzaman Noor

A murder case was filed yesterday with the Senior Judicial Magistrate's court in Nilphamari accusing 202 people, including former cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor as prime accused

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Another murder case filed against Asaduzzaman Noor

Star file photo

A murder case was filed yesterday with the Senior Judicial Magistrate's court in Nilphamari accusing 202 people, including former cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor as prime accused.

It is the second murder case in which Noor has been named as prime accused. On September 15, wife of deceased BNP leader Golam Rabbani filed a case against him.

Md Liton Rahman, son of a farmer who was killed in mob violence in Ramganj bazar of Sadar upazila on December 14, 2013, filed the case, reports our Nilphamari correspondent quoting court sources.

According to the case statement, Asaduzzaman Noor, former lawmaker from Nilphamari-2 (Sadar), led a group of 1,000-1,500 people equipped with sharp weapons and attacked his rivals in Ramganj bazar around 3:30pm on that day.

The victim, Siddique Ali, who went to the bazar that day, was critically injured in the attack and was lying on Nilphamari-Ramganj road in front of Noor's vehicle, it read.

Noor, suspecting him as an opponent, and being furious, crushed him to death by driving his vehicle over him, said the case statement.

The plaintiff said due to the fear of repercussions, they could not file any case till now.​

 

[Saif]

Pressure piles on president to step down

The walls seemed to be closing in on President Mohammed Shahabuddin as calls for his resignation grew louder yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

Pressure piles on president to step down
Students demonstrate in front of Bangabhaban, Central Shaheed Minar, elsewhere in the country

The walls seemed to be closing in on President Mohammed Shahabuddin as calls for his resignation grew louder yesterday.

As more and more people joined demonstrations for his resignation, the government yesterday called him out on his "lies" about Sheikh Hasina's resignation as prime minister.

It all began after Manab Zamin on Sunday published an exclusive interview of him saying that he only heard that Hasina had resigned, but there was no evidence of her resignation.

As several hundred protesters under the banners Raktim July 2024 and Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee attempted to break through the security barriers in front of the Bangabhaban around 8:30 o' clock last night, police detonated stun grenades.

The protesters then chased the police away.

Five people, including two journalists, suffered minor injuries, witnesses said. Police also hit the protesters with batons and used tear gas shells.

Army personnel were seen trying to calm the situation.

At around 11:30pm, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, two of the most influential organisers of the student movement against discrimination, arrived and requested the protesters to leave, promising that a change would come in two days.

By midnight, most of the protesters left.

Hasnat told the protesters that he would talk to political parties in the presence of the army chief, and by Thursday, choose someone who could be the president.

Sarjis said, "We will discuss and appoint a person to an important post like that of the president. If emotion wins over strategy, we as well as the country will get hurt in the long run."

Unless a rational decision is made by Thursday, "we will join you on the streets".

On Sunday, Manab Zamin's political magazine Janatar Chokh ran an interview of President Shahabuddin with its Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury.

"I tried [to collect the resignation letter] many times but failed. Maybe she did not have the time," Shahabuddin said.

The following day, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul termed the president's remark a lie and that the president's comments were akin to misconduct and if he stuck to his guns, the government should reconsider his position.

According to section 57(a) of the constitution, the prime minister's office shall become vacant if he/she resigns from the office at any time by handing the resignation letter to the president.

Yesterday, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy that the interim government agreed with Asif's statement.

He, however, stated that the government was yet to make any move to remove Shahabuddin.

Earlier in the day, student leaders demonstrated at the Central Shaheed Minar. They threatened to take to the streets if the government failed to meet their demands within this week.

They said the president lost his moral authority to stay in office.

In another development, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Information Adviser Nahid Islam held a half-hour long meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed at the latter's Supreme Court office around 2:00pm, said Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan, SC registrar general.

He did not say what was discussed at the meeting.

As per section 106 of the constitution, if at any time it appears to the president that a question of law has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to the Appellate Division for consideration and the division may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report its opinion thereon to the President.

PROTESTS IN DHAKA AND OUTSIDE

In the capital, demonstrations in front of the Bangabhaban started in the afternoon and the Gulistan road was blocked in the evening.

Protesters under the banner Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee marched from Dhaka University campus towards the Bangabhaban, reports UNB.

Police stopped them at the High Court Mazar intersection, but they managed to march to the Bangabhaban. They attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Bangabhaban, but the members of law enforcement agencies barred them.

The demonstrators then held a rally outside.

Another group, Raktim July 24, organised a separate sit-in there, demanding the president's removal, the UNB reports.

There were demonstrations in other parts of Dhaka and in different other districts.

In the morning, a group of around 15 protesters gathered near the Bangabhaban, chanting slogans denouncing the president.

Saied Ahmed Sarker, one of the demonstrators, said they also demanded a ban on the Awami League and Chhatra League.

In Barishal, school, college, and university students held a rally at the Ashwini Kumar Hall, demanding the president's resignation and a ban on Chhatra League.

Rajshahi University students demonstrated on the campus.

Similar protests were held in Jhenidah, where students took to the streets around 4:30pm.​

 

[Saif]

ACC sues Muhiuddin khan Alamgir, six others for money laundering

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday filed a case against seven people including former home minister of Awami League government, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, under the...

www.newagebd.net

ACC sues Muhiuddin khan Alamgir, six others for money laundering
Staff Correspondent 23 October, 2024, 17:25

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday filed a case against seven people including former home minister of Awami League government, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.

The ACC on the day also decided to launch an inquiry against former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal over allegations of amassing illegal wealth through corruption.

Besides, the commission on the day decided to impose an international travel ban on two former AL lawmakers – Abdul Wadud (Chapainawabganj-3) and Mrinal Kanti Das (Munshiganj-3) – over allegations of corruption.

ACC deputy director Syed Ataul Kabir filed the case against Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir and six others with its integrated district office in Jamalpur, ACC director general (prevention) Md Aktar Hossain said.

The other accused in the case are Farmers Bank›s former director and RCL plastic industry proprietor Rashidul Haque Chisty, the bank’s Bakshiganj branch former manager Masudur Rahman, and its assistant officers – Fakhruzzaman, Mohammed Faruk, Md Hiron Rahman, and Md Ibrahim Khan.

According to the case statement, an account was opened at Bakshiganj branch of Farmers Bank [now Padma Bank PLC] in Jamalpur in the name of Sultana Matshya Khamar with fake documents and address during the tenure of MK Alamgir as chairman of the board of directors of the private bank.

The name of MK Alamgir, also a former lawmaker for Chandpur-1 constituency, was mentioned as the owner of the non-existing Sultana Matshya Khamar, it said.

The accused, in collusion with each other, conducted transactions of Tk 8.86 crore through the bank account between 2014 and 2017 to hide the source and ownership of the ill-gotten money, said the case statement.

ACC officials said that the commission decided to launch an inquiry against ex-finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and his family members over allegations of amassing illegal assets.

Referring to the allegations, they said, Kamal purchased lands in the Zoarsahara and Badda areas in Dhaka, and in Cumilla in his own name and deposited a huge amount of money in different banks and financial institutions, invested in shares, and invested Tk 20.48 crore in savings certificates.

They said that there were also allegations that ACC the former minister had investments in various companies, including Lotus Kamal Properties and Orbital Enterprises, and in land, plots, and apartments in different places in Dhaka and Cumilla in the name of his wife Kashmiri Kamal.

The officials said that there were deposits, investments in shares, and savings certificates in the name of the ex-minister’s wife in various banks and financial institutions amounting to Tk 38.87 crore.

They said that the ACC had received information that Mustafa Kamal and Kashmiri Kamal owned movable and immovable assets worth Tk 111.63 crore.

Apart from the assets, the ACC intelligence unit also found information that Kamal amassed assets worth hundreds of crores of taka at home and abroad, they said.

ACC deputy director [public relations] Aktarul Islam said that the commission decided to impose an international travel ban on former AL lawmakers Abdul Wadud and Mrinal Kanti Das and will submit petitions to a Dhaka court soon for imposing a travel ban on them.

Earlier, the commission decided to launch inquiries against the two former lawmakers over allegations of amassing illegal wealth.​

 

[Saif]

S Alam group official held while leaving country

An official of S Alam Group was detained while going to India through the Akhaura international immigration checkpost in Brahmanbaria this afternoon

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S Alam group official held while leaving country

Photo: Collected

An official of S Alam Group was detained while going to India through the Akhaura international immigration checkpost in Brahmanbaria this afternoon.

The arrestee, Sujan Kanti Dey, 44, is a resident of Malghar village under Anwara Upazila of Chittagong, said Inspector Khairul Alam, in-charge of Akhaura Immigration Police Checkpost.

Sujan was arrested and handed over to Akhaura Police Station after being detained based on the requisition of Anwara Police Station, Khairul told The Daily Star.

As there is a regular case against him in Anwara Police Station, he will be shown arrested in that case, he added.

The arrestee, who works as a delivery officer at S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited, is accused of aiding in money laundering, said police.

He allegedly used to help the founder of S Alam Group with money laundering, police also said.​

 

[Saif]

July 15 attacks: Complaint filed with Shahbagh police against 420 BCL activists

A complaint was lodged with Shahbagh Police Station yesterday against 420 Chhatra League leaders and activists over the July 15 attacks on quota reform protesters at Dhaka University.

www.thedailystar.net

July 15 attacks: Complaint filed with Shahbagh police against 420 BCL activists

Protesters are attacked outside Shahidullah Hall, Dhaka University during quota reform movement on July 15, 2024. FILE PHOTO: RASHED SHUMON

A complaint was lodged with Shahbagh Police Station yesterday against 420 Chhatra League leaders and activists over the July 15 attacks on quota reform protesters at Dhaka University.

This follows a case filed on October 21 by members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which named 391 leaders and activists of BCL, Awami League, and Jubo League.

The complaint lodged yesterday contained 220 new names, including those of female leaders and activists of BCL, a pro-AL student body. It was filed by Arman Hossain, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

After submitting the complaint, Arman, Umama Fatema, spokesperson for the movement, and coordinator Abdul Kader briefed reporters at the Shahbagh Police Station.

Police were yet to register the complaint as a case till filing of this report around 8:30pm.

Over a thousand unnamed activists of BCL, AL, and Jubo League were made accused in the case filed on October 21. The complaint lodged yesterday included "150-200" unnamed.

Yesterday's complaint named Saddam Hussain, president of BCL, Sheikh Wali Asif Enan, general secretary of the organisation, Mazharul Kabir Shayan, president of DU unit BCL, and Tanbir Hasan Shaikat, general secretary of the same unit.

On July 15, BCL activists attacked the protesters during the quota reform protests allegedly on the instructions of AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader.

"The complaint will be accepted as a case after scrutiny," said Shahabuddin Shaheen, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station.

In another development, detectives yesterday detained Khadiza Akter Urmi, president of Dhaka University's Shamsun Nahar Hall unit BCL, and its Surja Sen Hall unit Organising Secretary Moazzem H Rakib Sarker in Dhaka, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP.

On Thursday, police filed a case with Dhanmondi Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing 11 BCL leaders.

On October 23, the interim government banned BCL amid demands from the student movement against discrimination.​

 

[Saif]

Ex-minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain arrested

Detectives have arrested former housing and public works minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain from Bashundhara residential area in the capital

en.prothomalo.com

Ex-minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain arrested
UNB
Updated: 27 Oct 2024, 16: 40

Former housing and public works minister Mosharraf Hossain File photo

Detectives have detained former housing and public works minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain in Bashundhara residential area of Dhaka.

A team from the Detective Branch (DB) of the police held Mosharraf on Sunday, said deputy commissioner (media) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Talebur Rahman.

Mosharraf Hossain's detention was said to be in connection with a murder case that was filed with Paltan police station.

Mosharraf was elected as a member of parliament (MP) from the Chattogram-1 constituency seven times during the Awami League regime.

He held the position of housing and public works minister until January 2019 and also served as the minister of civil aviation and Tourism in 1996.​

 

[Saif]

Benazir sued in case filed over 2016 death in ‘crossfire’

A Joypurhat court has ordered legal action against nine individuals, in connection with the death of Shafinur Islam Shafin in a ‘crossfire’ incident while in RAB custody in 2016.

www.newagebd.net

Benazir sued in case filed over 2016 death in ‘crossfire’
United News of Bangladesh . Joypurhat 28 October, 2024, 21:09

Benazir Ahmed | Collected photo

A Joypurhat court has ordered legal action against nine individuals, in connection with the death of Shafinur Islam Shafin in a ‘crossfire’ incident while in RAB custody in 2016.

The family of the deceased is now claiming that Shafin’s was a victim of extrajudicial killing.

The accused include the then-director general of the Rapid Action Battalion, Benazir Ahmed, who retired as IGP, and then-Police Superintendent Molla Nazrul Islam.

The directive comes as part of a case filed eight years after the incident, seeking justice for the death.

The case was filed on Sunday by Nazrul Islam, father of the deceased, from Chokmohan village in Joypurhat’s Sadar upazila.

In total, the case involves 25 accused individuals, with the court initially focusing on the first nine named in the complaint.

Senior District and Sessions Judge Md Mojibur Rahman instructed that legal measures be taken against the nine, ordering the Police Superintendent to report back within 24 hours.

In addition to Benazir and Nazrul, the others against whom the court ordered action include Major Hasan Arafat of the Joypurhat AB camp, deputy assistant director Md Firoz Ali Khan, sub-inspector Enamul Haque, DAD Mahfuzar Rahman, SI Debashish Nandi of Sadar Police Station, RAB Naik Habibur Rahman and constable Mehedi Hasan.

According to the case details, the incident began on September 26, 2016, when members of the Joypurhat RAB camp arrested Shafinur Islam Shafin around 9:00pm from Uttara area in Dhaka.

Approximately one month later, on the night of October 25, at around 9:30pm, Shafin was reportedly shot and killed at an abandoned paddy field owned by Helal in Dadaura Nandigram, Joypurhat Sadar upazila.

Plaintiff's lawyer, Adv Mahfuzur Rahman Helal, informed the press that the court had acknowledged the allegations against the first nine accused and had ordered the Joypurhat SP to take legal action accordingly. The court mandated that the SP update it on the steps taken within a 24-hour period.

Speaking over the phone, SP Muhammad Abdul Wahab confirmed said, ‘Legal action is being taken as per the court’s directive.’​

 

[Saif]

Ex-DMP boss Golam Faruk under ACC scanner

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday decided to launch an inquiry against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and additional inspector general of police Khandaker Golam Faruk over allegations of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 3,000 crore...

www.newagebd.net

Ex-DMP boss Golam Faruk under ACC scanner
Staff Correspondent 29 October, 2024, 00:12

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday decided to launch an inquiry against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and additional inspector general of police Khandaker Golam Faruk over allegations of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 3,000 crore.

The commission formed an inquiry team led by assistant director Rakibul Hayat, asking it to carry out a probe over the graft allegations, said its deputy director Aktarul Islam.

According to the allegations, Faruk abused his power during his service tenure to illegally amass Tk 3,000 crore from all over the country even from remote areas.

Bangladeshi citizen Faruk is also a holder of the green card which is a Permanent Resident Card for immigrants in the United States. His wife’s brothers and sisters are also permanent residents of the USA, according to the primary allegations brought against Faruk.

The former police officer allegedly laundered illegal money worth Tk 2,500 crore to the USA through close relatives, while with the rest Tk 500 crore he bought assets, including land, apartments and houses, in different parts of the country and kept deposits in several banks.

Most of these assets he had bought in the names of his wife Sharmeen Akhtar Khan and other close relatives and family members, according to the allegations.

With his illegal money Faruk built Ghatandi Alhaj Khandkar Hyder Ali Memorial High School on several bigha of land and also constructed a three-storey luxurious building at his village home in Tangail.

Of Faruk’s three brothers, one Khandkar Habibur Rahman Selim has Tk 50 lakh in several banks, while his wife has land property worth about Tk 30 crore in her name, as per allegations.

Another brother, Khandkar Suruj, owns a motor parts shop worth around Tk 3 crore at Bhuapur bus stand in Tangail, while he and his wife possess land worth Tk 25 crore.

Another brother, Khandkar Firoz, alias Kalu, owns land worth Tk 2 crore and has about Tk 40 lakh in banks.

Faruk’s younger sister and her husband also own huge wealth, as per allegations.

Faruk allegedly amassed wealth worth Tk 200 crore during his tenure as an assistant commissioner of police in Chittagong in 1993–1995.

He illegally amassed Tk 150 crore during his term as superintendent of police in Thakurgaon in 2004–2006. He also amassed Tk 300 crore illegally during his tenure as police super in Mymensingh in 2009–2012, and also made another Tk 500 crore in illegal earning during his tenure as Rangpur Range deputy inspector general of police.

During his tenure as Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, the former police official allegedly secured Tk 1,450 crore in illegal income.

The police arrested former police commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruk on Saturday from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital just before he was due to fly for Bangkok on a personal trip.

A number of cases were filed against him after then prime minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned and fled to India amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5, bringing the downfall of the Awami League regime.​

 

[Saif]

Former agri minister arrested in Dhaka

Former agriculture minister Abdus Shahid was arrested in the capital’s Uttara area yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

Former agri minister arrested in Dhaka

Abdus Shahid

Former agriculture minister Abdus Shahid was arrested in the capital's Uttara area yesterday.

A team of police arrested Shahid him from a house at Sector-10 of Uttara, Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Uttara West Police Station, told The Daily Star.

Shahid, former lawmaker from Moulvibazar-4 and also former chief whip of the Jatiya Sangsad, is accused in several cases filed with Uttara west and other police stations, said the OC.

In September this year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) decided to launch an inquiry against Shahid on charges of abusing power, engaging in various irregularities, and amassing wealth through corruption.​

 

[Saif]

Govt should bust nexus of tycoons close to Hasina

POWERFUL business tycoons, who had been close to the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, have swindled $17 billion off the banking sector, as the Bangladesh Bank government has said in an interview with the Financial Times, during the 15 years of the authoritarian regime of the Awami League...

www.newagebd.net

Govt should bust nexus of tycoons close to Hasina
30 October, 2024, 00:00

POWERFUL business tycoons, who had been close to the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, have swindled $17 billion off the banking sector, as the Bangladesh Bank government has said in an interview with the Financial Times, during the 15 years of the authoritarian regime of the Awami League. The central banker is reported to have said that the tycoons worked with the military intelligence agency in this. He has also alleged in the interview that the agency facilitated the takeover of major banks which led to the systematic transfer of the money out of Bangladesh. This is said to be the biggest robbing of banks by any international standards that would not be possible without intelligence officials pressuring the chiefs of the banks into compliance. The money was swindled out in loans given out to new shareholders and inflated import invoices while the government during the 15 years pursued a development model frenziedly obsessed with growth in gross domestic product and per capita income that have hardly benefitted people at large. What is further disparaging is that the S Alam Group alone is involved in the laundering of at least $10 billion. All this is but a fraction of the whole illicit capital flow.

The central bank governor has said that intelligence officials forced members on bank boards to sell their shares at gunpoint to the S Alam Group chief, with one bank after another facing coercive takeover. All this cannot have happened without the involvement of ranking government leaders. Most of the activities of the group was suspicious and questionable. Yet, nothing could then be done to stop such happenings. This suggests the intensity of the influence that the S Alam Group enjoyed on the government. And, all such incidents left the economy high and dry. The interim government, installed on August 8 after the deposed prime minister had fled to India on August 5, has the repatriation of the money thus laundered high on its agenda. The government has now sought international assistance to investigate overseas assets of Sheikh Hasina’s associates. It has, therefore, become imperative that the government should go all out to repatriate the money that has been laundered in all such cases and hold to justice all the offenders. The government should also hold to justice all the people and quarters involved in the offences. The government should arrest chiefs of all the banks and the people and quarters concerned in the Bangladesh Bank, which is the regulator of the banking sector, and interrogate them to get a clear picture of how the offences have happened for an insight into ways to stop their recurrence and bring to justice others who were also involved.

The interim government should, therefore, recover the stolen funds that have left dozens of bank mostly bankrupt and the economy dry. It should also hold to justice people in the nexus, still at large on both the private and the public side, to stop the recurrence of such scams.​

 

[Saif]

5 ex-ministers on remand

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate courts on Wednesday placed 10 people, including five former ministers, of the ousted Awami league government on different terms of remand in different cases...

www.newagebd.net

5 ex-ministers on remand
Staff Correspondent 31 October, 2024, 00:02

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate courts on Wednesday placed 10 people, including five former ministers, of the ousted Awami league government on different terms of remand in different cases.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrates Md Shariful Rahman and Md Imran Ahmed passed the orders after police produced them before the courts seeking remand for interrogation.

The former ministers are former minister Md Abdus Shahid, law minister Anisul Huq, food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, and information minister Hasanul Huq Inu.

The others remanded are former lawmaker Haji Mohammad Salim, former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former army officer Ziaul Ahsan, and Dhaka University Chhatra League’s general secretary Tanvir Hasan Saikat and Swechchhasebak League leader Sheikh Jamal.

Former minister Md Abdus Shahid was placed on a 4-day remand in a case lodged over the murder of bus driver Alamgir Hossain on August 5.

The police produced Shahid who was arrested at Uttara on Tuesday night, before the court and pleaded to place him on 10-day remand in the case filed with the Uttara West police station.

Anisul was placed on eight-day remand, five days in a case with the Shahbagh police station, and three days in a murder case with the Badda police station.

Sadhan Chandra and Shajahan were each remanded for three days in cases filed with Mohammadpur and Jatrabari police stations respectively, while Inu was remanded for five days in a murder case with the Dhanmondi police station.

Former IGP Mamun was put on three-day remand in a case with the Dhanmondi police station and an additional four days in a case with the Bangshal police station.

Additionally, Ziaul, Haji Salim, and Saikat were each placed on five-day remand in cases filed with New Market, Chawkbazar, and Dhanmondi police stations, respectively.

On the other hand, Dhaka additional chief metropolitan magistrate Jiadur Rahman placed Swechchhasebak League leader Sheikh Jamal on two-day remand over the murder of Juba Dal leader Shamim in 2023.

Anisul was arrested on August 13 at Sadarghat while police detained Inu on August 26 from Uttara.

Shajahan was arrested in Dhanmondi on September 5, and Sadhan Chandra was taken into custody in the Bashundhara Residential Area on the night of October 3.

Former army officer Ziaul was detained on August 16 in Khilkhet, and Chhatra League leader Saikat was apprehended on August 14 in Nikunja.

On September 1, Haji Salim was arrested at Bangshal in Old Dhaka, and former IGP Mamun was arrested on the night of September 3.​

 

[Saif]

Ex-minister Abdus Shahid arrested with huge cash, foreign currency

Police early on Wednesday arrested former agriculture minister Md Abdus Shahid from the city’s Uttara area with huge cash, foreign currencies and 990.50 grams of gold. A team of Uttara Pashchim Thana rounded up Abdus Shahid, also a former lawmaker of Moulovibazar-4 constituency, from his res

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Ex-minister Abdus Shahid arrested with huge cash, foreign currency
BSS
Published :
Oct 30, 2024 20:50
Updated :
Oct 30, 2024 20:50

Police early on Wednesday arrested former agriculture minister Md Abdus Shahid from the city’s Uttara area with huge cash, foreign currencies and 990.50 grams of gold.

A team of Uttara Pashchim Thana rounded up Abdus Shahid, also a former lawmaker of Moulovibazar-4 constituency, from his residence at road No-2, sector-10 at Uttara around 4 am today, according to a police press release.

During the raid at Shahid’s Uttara residence, police seized over Tk 3.10 crore, 1,953 US dollars, 1120 Canadian dollars, 1,100 Euro, 5,300 Thai baht, 500 Mexican dollars, 50 Hong Kong dollars, 3000 rupees, 3,117 Qatar real riyal and 990.50 gram (around 85 tolas) gold from his possession, it added.

Police sent Abdus Shahid to a court in Dhaka with a prayer for 10 days remand in connection with a case filed with Uttara Pashchim Police Station over a killing during the anti-discrimination student movement. But, the court granted a four-day remand.

Apart from the cases, Abdus Shahid was also accused in two more murder cases with Uttara Pashchim Thana and one attempted murder case in Moulvibazar.

A process is underway to file a case against Abdus Shahid on charges of possessing foreign currencies illegally under the Special Powers Act while another case under Money Laundering Act for possessing huge money and gold.​

 

[Saif]

Dhaka to work with WHO directly as regional director Saima ‘dysfunctional’

She is a member of the family of the fallen autocrat and it is in question whether she would give her best for the country

en.prothomalo.com

Dhaka to work with WHO directly as regional director Saima ‘dysfunctional’
BSS
Dhaka
Published: 30 Oct 2024, 20: 36

A press briefing by the chief adviser’s press wing at Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on 30 October, 2024. BSS

The government has sent a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) wishing to work directly with it as its Regional Director for South-East Asia Saima Wazed is “dysfunctional right now”.

“Incumbent WHO Regional Director Saima Wazed Putul is dysfunctional right now. She has been implicated in several criminal cases and financial crimes,” Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told a press briefing at Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He said the Bangladesh government has sent a letter to the WHO so that Bangladesh can directly communicate with it bypassing Saima Wazed.

“The WHO has been informed so that Bangladesh can directly communicate with it – without her mediation and that is why the WHO has been requested to take urgent action to this end,” he said.

Replying to a question, Apurba said as the WHO appoints its regional director, Bangladesh has to communicate with the WHO maintaining liaison with its regional director.

Saima Wazed is a member of the family of the fallen autocrat and it is in question whether she would give her best for the country, he said.

Responding to a query, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said it is an ethical issue as Saima Wazed was implicated in some financial crimes, while her bank accounts were frozen here.

He said the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has been investing her crimes and therefore, working with her is not possible.

The government is seeking to work with the WHO directly and the agency has been requested to inform the Bangladesh government about what measures it is taking to this end, Alam said.

Speaking at the press briefing, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said considering a recent report of Dainik Kalbela, the government formed a high-level probe body to investigate the allegation of bribery in appointment of deputy commissioners (DCs).

The committee submitted its probe report to the government, revealing that the allegation was not true, he said.

Azad said now, on behalf of the government, Dainik Kalbela will be requested to review its report and take necessary measures.​

 

[Saif]

পুতুলের মাধ্যমে নয়, ডব্লিউএইচও'র সঙ্গে কাজ করতে চায় সরকার: প্রেস উইং

 

[Saif]

Former minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir arrested

Detective Branch arrested former housing and public works minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury from Dhaka's Nakhalpara area last night

www.thedailystar.net

Former minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir arrested

RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury. Photo: Collected

Detective Branch arrested former housing and public works minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury from Dhaka's Nakhalpara area last night.

Police did not specifically say in what case Muktadir was arrested, however, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Detective Branch) official Rezaul Karim Mallik told journalists that there were several cases against him.

Muktadir Chowdhury is a former Awami League MP from Brahmanbaria. He was first elected in a by-election in 2011. He was a fourth-time MP from Awami League.

He said Muktadir will be produced before a court on Friday with a remand prayer for further questioning.​

 

[Saif]

Court issues travel bans on Union Bank MD Mokammel, ex-JP MP

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Thursday issued international travel bans on eight people, including Union Bank managing director ABM Mokammel Hoque Chowdhury, former Taxes Appellate Tribunal member Ranjit Kumar Talukder and his wife Jhumur Majumder over allegations of amassing...

www.newagebd.net

Court issues travel bans on Union Bank MD Mokammel, ex-JP MP
Staff Correspondent 31 October, 2024, 18:15

Mokammel Hoque Chowdhury and Ranjit Kumar Talukder

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Thursday issued international travel bans on eight people, including Union Bank managing director ABM Mokammel Hoque Chowdhury, former Taxes Appellate Tribunal member Ranjit Kumar Talukder and his wife Jhumur Majumder over allegations of amassing illegal wealth.

The other five are former Awami League lawmaker Habib Hasan of Dhaka-18 constituency, his wife Shamima Habib, their son Abeer Hasan Tanim and daughter Sonia Hasan Tonni, and former Jatiya Party lawmaker Md Nurul Islam Talukder.

Acting Judge Md Ibrahim Mia of the court issued the travel bans following separate petitions submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission, said ACC public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

ACC in the petitions sought travel bans on them for the sake of fair inquiry, and it also mentioned that they may flee the country if the bans are not issued.

The court issued a travel ban on ABM Mokammel Hoque Chowdhury following a petition submitted by ACC deputy director Masudur Rahman seeking.

According to the petition, Mokammel was abusing the power of his post during the laundering of Tk 5,000 crore to Barclays Bank in the United Kingdom by family members of the S Alam group.

It also mentioned that Mokammel amassed a huge amount of wealth at home and abroad through abusing power and corruption.

Besides, the court issued a travel ban on former Taxes Appellate Tribunal member Ranjit Kumar Talukder and his wife Jhumur Majumder following a petition submitted by ACC assistant director Khorshed Alam.

ACC mentioned in the petition that the commission is conducting an inquiry against Ranjit Kumar over allegations of amassing illegal wealth through taking bribes and embezzling money through various corruption.

Among the assets, Ranjit bought agriculture lands, flats, and plots with his ill-gotten money, while his wife Jhumur Mojumder possessed 22 fixed deposit receipts worth Tk 3.50 crore at different branches of Bangladesh Commerce Bank.

The court also issued a travel ban on former AL lawmaker Habib Hasan, his wife, and children over an allegation of amassing illegal wealth.

According to the allegation, Habib and his family members amassed illegal wealth through extortion in the transport sector and embezzling government money.

Habib also laundered money abroad and bought property in Canada in the name of his son Abeer Hasan, according to the allegations.

Meanwhile, the court also imposed a travel ban on former Jatiya Party lawmaker Nurul Islam Talukder of Bogura-4 constituency following a petition of the ACC.

ACC mentioned that Nurul Islam embezzled money from different government development projects through abusing his power as a lawmaker.

Nurul Islam was elected as a lawmaker in the 2014 and 2018 parliament elections, but he was defeated in the last parliament election held on January 7 this year.​

 

[Saif]

Former MP Abul Kalam Azad sued in attempted murder case

Ten people, including former Jamalpur-1 MP Abul Kalam Azad, have been sued in an attempted murder case. .District Chhatra Dal Vice President Md Shahadat Hossain filed the case with Jamalpur Sadar Police Station last night, said police. .Besides, 200 to 300 unnamed accused from Awami

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Former MP Abul Kalam Azad sued in attempted murder case

Abul Kalam Azad

Ten people, including former Jamalpur-1 MP Abul Kalam Azad, have been sued in an attempted murder case.

District Chhatra Dal Vice President Md Shahadat Hossain filed the case with Jamalpur Sadar Police Station last night, said police.

Besides, 200 to 300 unnamed accused from Awami League and its affiliated organisations were also accused in the case.

The accused include Abul Kalam Azad, former MP of Jamalpur Sadar ; Safiqul Islam, Group Captain (retd) of Bangladesh Air Force, Jamalpur District AL VP Farooq Ahmed Chowdhury, former Jamalpur municipality mayor Sanawar Hossain Sanu, General Secretary of District Jubo League Farhan Ahmed, and General Secretary of District Chhatra League Nafiul Karim Rabbi.

According to the case statement, during the students-led mass uprising on August 3, when the students were marching towards Bakultala from Mirza Azam intersection area of Jamalpur municipality in the afternoon, the leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliated organisations attacked them with firearms, locally made weapons, and bamboo sticks.

Faisal Mohammad Atiq, officer-in-charge of Jamalpur Sadar Police Station, said several police teams are working to arrest the accused.​

 

[Bilal9]

Pressure piles on president to step down

The walls seemed to be closing in on President Mohammed Shahabuddin as calls for his resignation grew louder yesterday.

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Pressure piles on president to step down
Students demonstrate in front of Bangabhaban, Central Shaheed Minar, elsewhere in the country

View attachment 9962

The walls seemed to be closing in on President Mohammed Shahabuddin as calls for his resignation grew louder yesterday.

As more and more people joined demonstrations for his resignation, the government yesterday called him out on his "lies" about Sheikh Hasina's resignation as prime minister.

It all began after Manab Zamin on Sunday published an exclusive interview of him saying that he only heard that Hasina had resigned, but there was no evidence of her resignation.

As several hundred protesters under the banners Raktim July 2024 and Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee attempted to break through the security barriers in front of the Bangabhaban around 8:30 o' clock last night, police detonated stun grenades.

The protesters then chased the police away.

Five people, including two journalists, suffered minor injuries, witnesses said. Police also hit the protesters with batons and used tear gas shells.

Army personnel were seen trying to calm the situation.

At around 11:30pm, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, two of the most influential organisers of the student movement against discrimination, arrived and requested the protesters to leave, promising that a change would come in two days.

By midnight, most of the protesters left.

Hasnat told the protesters that he would talk to political parties in the presence of the army chief, and by Thursday, choose someone who could be the president.

Sarjis said, "We will discuss and appoint a person to an important post like that of the president. If emotion wins over strategy, we as well as the country will get hurt in the long run."

Unless a rational decision is made by Thursday, "we will join you on the streets".

On Sunday, Manab Zamin's political magazine Janatar Chokh ran an interview of President Shahabuddin with its Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury.

"I tried [to collect the resignation letter] many times but failed. Maybe she did not have the time," Shahabuddin said.

The following day, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul termed the president's remark a lie and that the president's comments were akin to misconduct and if he stuck to his guns, the government should reconsider his position.

According to section 57(a) of the constitution, the prime minister's office shall become vacant if he/she resigns from the office at any time by handing the resignation letter to the president.

Yesterday, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy that the interim government agreed with Asif's statement.

He, however, stated that the government was yet to make any move to remove Shahabuddin.

Earlier in the day, student leaders demonstrated at the Central Shaheed Minar. They threatened to take to the streets if the government failed to meet their demands within this week.

They said the president lost his moral authority to stay in office.

In another development, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Information Adviser Nahid Islam held a half-hour long meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed at the latter's Supreme Court office around 2:00pm, said Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan, SC registrar general.

He did not say what was discussed at the meeting.

As per section 106 of the constitution, if at any time it appears to the president that a question of law has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to the Appellate Division for consideration and the division may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report its opinion thereon to the President.

PROTESTS IN DHAKA AND OUTSIDE

In the capital, demonstrations in front of the Bangabhaban started in the afternoon and the Gulistan road was blocked in the evening.

Protesters under the banner Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee marched from Dhaka University campus towards the Bangabhaban, reports UNB.

Police stopped them at the High Court Mazar intersection, but they managed to march to the Bangabhaban. They attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Bangabhaban, but the members of law enforcement agencies barred them.

The demonstrators then held a rally outside.

Another group, Raktim July 24, organised a separate sit-in there, demanding the president's removal, the UNB reports.

There were demonstrations in other parts of Dhaka and in different other districts.

In the morning, a group of around 15 protesters gathered near the Bangabhaban, chanting slogans denouncing the president.

Saied Ahmed Sarker, one of the demonstrators, said they also demanded a ban on the Awami League and Chhatra League.

In Barishal, school, college, and university students held a rally at the Ashwini Kumar Hall, demanding the president's resignation and a ban on Chhatra League.

Rajshahi University students demonstrated on the campus.

Similar protests were held in Jhenidah, where students took to the streets around 4:30pm.​

Why couldn't this president keep his incoherent thoughts to himself and preserve his izzat/honor for a few months?

This is not very hard to do.

Now they will have to deport his tush over to Australia, where he can live out the rest of his days as an insignificant nobody. Truly foolish.

 

[Bilal9]

Govt should bust nexus of tycoons close to Hasina

POWERFUL business tycoons, who had been close to the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, have swindled $17 billion off the banking sector, as the Bangladesh Bank government has said in an interview with the Financial Times, during the 15 years of the authoritarian regime of the Awami League...

www.newagebd.net

Govt should bust nexus of tycoons close to Hasina
30 October, 2024, 00:00

POWERFUL business tycoons, who had been close to the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, have swindled $17 billion off the banking sector, as the Bangladesh Bank government has said in an interview with the Financial Times, during the 15 years of the authoritarian regime of the Awami League. The central banker is reported to have said that the tycoons worked with the military intelligence agency in this. He has also alleged in the interview that the agency facilitated the takeover of major banks which led to the systematic transfer of the money out of Bangladesh. This is said to be the biggest robbing of banks by any international standards that would not be possible without intelligence officials pressuring the chiefs of the banks into compliance. The money was swindled out in loans given out to new shareholders and inflated import invoices while the government during the 15 years pursued a development model frenziedly obsessed with growth in gross domestic product and per capita income that have hardly benefitted people at large. What is further disparaging is that the S Alam Group alone is involved in the laundering of at least $10 billion. All this is but a fraction of the whole illicit capital flow.

The central bank governor has said that intelligence officials forced members on bank boards to sell their shares at gunpoint to the S Alam Group chief, with one bank after another facing coercive takeover. All this cannot have happened without the involvement of ranking government leaders. Most of the activities of the group was suspicious and questionable. Yet, nothing could then be done to stop such happenings. This suggests the intensity of the influence that the S Alam Group enjoyed on the government. And, all such incidents left the economy high and dry. The interim government, installed on August 8 after the deposed prime minister had fled to India on August 5, has the repatriation of the money thus laundered high on its agenda. The government has now sought international assistance to investigate overseas assets of Sheikh Hasina’s associates. It has, therefore, become imperative that the government should go all out to repatriate the money that has been laundered in all such cases and hold to justice all the offenders. The government should also hold to justice all the people and quarters involved in the offences. The government should arrest chiefs of all the banks and the people and quarters concerned in the Bangladesh Bank, which is the regulator of the banking sector, and interrogate them to get a clear picture of how the offences have happened for an insight into ways to stop their recurrence and bring to justice others who were also involved.

The interim government should, therefore, recover the stolen funds that have left dozens of bank mostly bankrupt and the economy dry. It should also hold to justice people in the nexus, still at large on both the private and the public side, to stop the recurrence of such scams.​

This is very important as these tycoons and bank-loan defaulters (S. Alam, Summit Group) will be the ones financing her "attempted" return to power. Whether that "attempt" is successful or not. I think the Govt. should end all involvement with these Hasina supporter entities and also large "known" foreign conglomerates such as Adani/Ambani etc.

 

[Saif]

Shomi Kaiser arrested in Uttara

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested actress Shomi Kaiser in the capital’s Uttara area early today.

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Shomi Kaiser arrested in Uttara

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested actress Shomi Kaiser in the capital's Uttara area early today.

She was arrested around 12:30am during a drive, said Rawnak Jahan, deputy commissioner of the Uttara Division Police, told The Daily Star. The drive was conducted on a tip-off and the arrest was made at a house on Road-6 of sector-4, Rawnak added.

On October 9, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Shomi Kaiser, folk singer and former lawmaker Momtaz Begum, former minister and actress Tarana Halim, and 13 others were sued for attempting to kill BNP activist -- Syed Hasan Mahmud -- in June 2022.

Mahmud filed the case against Hasina and others with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Belal Hossain.

Rawnak said, "Actress Shomi Kaiser is an FIR listed accused. She will be shown arrested in the case."

Till the filling of this report around 1:00am, police were conducting the drive in the capital's Uttara.

Shomi is the daughter of Bangladeshi novelist, writer and martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser and writer and former parliamentarian Panna Kaiser.​

 

[Saif]

CID launches probe against former law minister's aide

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into the alleged money laundering by Toufika Karim, a close associate of former Law Minister Anisul Huq

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CID launches probe against former law minister's aide

File photo: Collected

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into the alleged money laundering by Toufika Karim, a close associate of former Law Minister Anisul Huq.

"The CID has started investigating allegations against Toufika Karim, widely recognised as the former minister's 'personal cashier', based on various sources and complaints," said Azad Rahman, special superintendent of police (media) at the CID headquarters.

Through her work in the legal profession, she reportedly became close to Anisul Huq and, allegedly with his support, is accused of establishing a network of illegal syndicates and embezzlement schemes, said a CID press release.

Since 2014, Toufika Karim is alleged to have engaged in activities like file tampering, forgery, job placement without exams, and influencing court verdicts, reportedly collecting large sums of money from defendants in high-profile cases in exchange for securing their bail or altering verdicts, said the CID release.

In 2020, further allegations surfaced that Toufika Karim, through irregular practices in the Dhaka Sessions Judge and Chief Metropolitan Magistrate courts, facilitated the appointment of 18 drivers from the former minister's constituency of Akhaura-Kasba.

Additionally, she held positions as the chairman of Citizen Charter Bank and managing director of Desh TV, reportedly owned by Anisul Huq. Sources allege that with the former minister's illicit wealth, she acquired several overseas properties in Canada, Dubai, and Malaysia as "second homes," according to the CID.

"It is rumoured that Toufika fled the country for Canada on July 26, just days before the Awami League government was ousted from power on August 5," the CID said.

Since money laundering is classified as a predicate offence under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the CID's Financial Crimes Unit has begun investigating Toufika Karim and associated parties in this regard, said the release.​

 

[Saif]

Amu arrested in the capital

The Detective Branch of police yesterday arrested former industries minister and Awami League advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu in the capital.

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Amu arrested in the capital
He faces 15 cases over murder, other offences

The Detective Branch of police yesterday arrested former industries minister and Awami League advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu in the capital.

He was held from a house in the West Dhanmondi area around 1:30pm, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Police said Amu stands accused in at least 15 cases on various charges, including murder.

Amu, also the coordinator of the AL-led 14-party alliance, was elected member of parliament six times from Jhalokathi-2 constituency.

Like many other AL leaders, Amu had been in hiding since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.

The next day, a joint team of army and police recovered Tk 5 crore in local and foreign currencies from Amu's house in Jhalokathi after a mob set the house on fire.

The money was discovered when firefighters went there to extinguish the blaze. They informed the army and police, who then arrived at the scene and found several pieces of luggage stashed with money.

On August 17, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit instructed all banks to freeze accounts of Amu and his daughter Sumaiya Hossain.

It also asked the banks to block all transactions through the accounts they maintain.​